


Dear You

by CaptainJimothyCarter



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Library, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-26
Updated: 2019-06-26
Packaged: 2020-05-21 03:30:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19365556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainJimothyCarter/pseuds/CaptainJimothyCarter
Summary: When Bucky has to move to Brooklyn from a little town in Russia, his world is turned upside down. He finds solice and peace from an overan home in Downtown Brooklyn Library.For the longest time, he watched a blonde boy about his age read. He'd watch him cry. Watch him laugh himself into an asthma attack. More importantly, Bucky got to watch him smile.Does Bucky have the courage to talk to Steve? Maybe through nameless letters.





	Dear You

Dear Adorable Blonde Nerd,

I've seen you at the library for the past couple of weeks, nose always buried in a book. I just moved here from Russia and my ma always makes me spend my days in the library in hopes I can make friends before school starts. Well, anything I can do to get out of the house, being the only guy with three sisters, it gets overcrowded. 

And I don't want to play with make up anymore.

In my few weeks here, I've done nothing but fuck around. Mainly on the internet, looking up videos and trying to improve my English. But mostly what I've done is watch you. You're an adorable pipsqueak kid who reads way too fast. I've seen you come in with bruises on your skin and concern grows in my heart. Yet I don't have the courage to ask what's wrong. Not yet at least. 

Some days you use an inhaler when the air is too thick, when the humidity is too strong, so the librarians open up a window around you. They seem to love you. You're always nice and polite and bring them desserts from home. I've never smelled brownies so delicious before or been so jealous of librarians before. 

But so you know what I've noticed the most? How much you love to read. How you live through your books. How your own emotions seem to convey through them. Because of you, I've expanded my reading pallet. I cried too when Dumbledore died. I read all of Harry Potter in a week just so I could understand and converse with you.

Or at least pretend to. In my mind, we talked over Hermione and her love of books, how you remind me of her. Or how your bravery to show such emotions in public without a care in the world or whose watching. 

You're a joy to watch, blondie. I pray that you find this in your little satchel. I hope one day I can get the courage to at least say hello to your freckled face. 

Your friendly, neighborhood Russian.

\---------------------------------------------------------

 

Dear friendly, neighborhood Russian,

I've noticed you. Or at least I think I have. I see hundreds of people in and out of this library every other day, but some faces remain in my mind. If you're jealous over the brownies, I'll ask Sam to leave you some. He's always a sucker for my mother's cooking. 

I have noticed someone around me, someone new. Someone who wasn't around me at the start of summer. Someone who looks at me with curiosity and delight. The way their silver eyes turned concern when I start to cry or wheeze with laughter. Or the day I showed up with bruises because I'd gotten into several fights with neighborhood kids who were being mean to an elderly cat. 

That concerned my mother more than anything. She's always so worried about me, given my illnesses and the fact that I always have a nose for trouble. Or so she says. That's why I'm here five days out of the week, I can keep myself out of trouble by reading and god forbid when the air is too hot or heavy to breathe, the librarians always make it easier for me.

I cried for weeks when Dumbledore died. And then when Snape died. And Lupin. I cried because the series was over and part of me was over. I dreamed of being a wizard and escaping my normal life here to run away to Hogwarts every year. To just belong somewhere and have close friends instead of adults I see on a daily basis. Those books were apart of my soul, so of course I was going to cry my heart out. I am sorry you read them out of order because of me, but you understand what I mean now, right? How those books spoke to your soul? 

Of course you do. You have to have to read them out of order. 

Why don't you come and say hello? I don't bite much.

Your adorable, freckled blonde

\-----------------------

My Missing Blonde

Where are you? I only write this to keep me busy and stop fretting. But you're not here! You're not in your normal back of the library spot. At that small table, crammed into the corner with your art stuff around you. You're not here!

I got the nerve to ask the librarian, that one Sam you spoke of. He teased me for having a crush when I'm just concerned. [I don't have a crush by the way. I'm not some school boy.] Missing one day is fine, but three? Four? No. My heart says something wrong and Sam confirmed it.

Hospitalised.

I never knew one word could strike such terror into my heart. I felt like I couldn't breathe when Sam told me. Couldn't see. Sam said I was having a panic attack, not my first one. All he could tell me was that you had a seizure. A pretty bad one, given you're now in the hospital. I tried to get more information to go see you, but my ma told me no. I'm not family and all I can do is hope that you're okay. 

I hate feeling useless. I hate sitting here with just a pen in hand, not able to do anything to help you.

Sam says he'll make sure my letter gets to you. He promised he'll deliver it with these cookies.

There's nothing special. Just cookies from my ma's cook book. They're a Russian recipe. Sam seemed to like them well enough but not as well as your brownies.

I'm going to check out every book I can on seizures, so I know I can help you. 

Please get better. I miss seeing you in our spot.

Your concerned, Russian friend

\--------------------------

Dear concerned, Russian

 

Those cookies were amazing. Okay, the first few were but the last handful were hard as rocks. That's okay, they fed the birds outside my window. They seemed to enjoy them, but hey, I can help you bake! Once I'm cleared of course. 

I'm sorry to have scared you like that, that was not my intention. Or wanting to scare you at all. It's not like I know when these are coming. Even if you could've seen me, I wouldn't have wanted you to. My ma says it was real bad this time. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't focus. They really thought I was a goner.

Only thing she said I responded to was your letter being read out loud. Ma said I smiled. And once she saw that smile, said she knew I was gonna be okay.

So, thanks for that, friend. I mean it.

Can we focus on something else that's not my fucked up health? I've had enough questions, pokes, and prods. I know it's done out of concern but I'm tired of it. 

How did you find Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy? Sam said you checked it out after seeing me read it. 

Did you laugh until you cried too?

Anyway, my mom says she's gonna drop this letter off with Sam with my pile of books to return and get me more. Doctors said I can return home in a day or two, things are looking stable. 

I hope to hear from you soon?

Your sickly, book nerd

\----------------------

You pile of human sunshine,

It made me so happy to see you back in your normal spot. Sure you look like shit. Pale and still having bruises from where the IV was but you're here. Ma says I've been moping around lots since you went to the hospital. I was not. I was just...worried and trying to distract myself.

Natasha was nice. She talked to me lots. Turns out, she knows Russian. We had fun talking shit about the other librarians. Did you know Barton is deaf too? He was teaching me sign language. Says you know some too cause you're deaf in your left ear. 

He also steals your moms brownies. 

Speaking of, she found me. Your ma. I was...maybe badgering Natasha about a letter from you while holding the books and she was right behind me. She gave me some of the brownies and told me some stuff about you. We talked for a long, long while.

She said you were born sick, like premature. Doctors didn't know you were gonna make it. Said that you've been nothing but stubborn about surviving ever since. That you and her moved from Ireland to here a year ago and transition has been rough on you. That she wanted a better life for you.

I told her I was from Russia and my ma moved us here after my accident. I sorta have a metal prosthetic that Tony Stark designed for me. It's how I got to move here on visa and all. 

She said my letters have changed you? That you're smiling more. Laughing. She said she was worried about you for the longest time and if she made a mistake moving you two here. That the kids at school tease you for lack of friends and because you spend all your breaks reading.

I told her that you have one friend now. Me.

And I'm ready to meet you if you are. I want to see that angelic face in person. And more so than behind a creepy pile of books or over the computer screen.

Think that'll be okay? Your mom says it's fine. That she would love to have me over for dinner, so I guess that's where I'm going. Dinner. Your place.

I'll see you there, squirt, okay?

Or should I say Steve?

Your new friend,

James "Bucky" Barnes


End file.
